WJPA Sports

WASHINGTON (AP) — Tom Wilson had a goal and two assists, and the Washington Capitals held on for a win in Alex Ovechkin’s final home opener, 5-3 over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Anthony Beauvillier, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Alex Tuch and Ryan Leonard also scored for the Capitals, who introduced their roster one by one before the game, saving Ovechkin for last. The Russian star’s two kids handled that announcement, and the crowd gave a standing ovation. Ovechkin announced earlier in the week that this season would be his last in the NHL. Bryan Rust, Tommy Novak and Nick Robertson scored for the Penguins.

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers advanced to the National League Championship Series for the second straight season with a 3-1 victory over the San Diego Padres to win their best-of-five Division Series 3-1. Garrett Mitchell tripled and scored the tiebreaking run on Jackson Chourio’s single in the fifth inning. Mitchell drove in Sal Frelick with Milwaukee’s first run, and Frelick added a sacrifice fly in the sixth as the Brewers snapped their 12-game postseason road losing streak since 2018. After fending off the surging Padres in four tight games, the 103-win Brewers will get an NLCS rematch with the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Andy Pages drove in two runs with a bases-loaded single in the seventh inning to give Los Angeles the lead, and the Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 4-1 to clinch their NL Division Series. The Dodgers won back-to-back games in Atlanta to take the best-of-five matchup 3-1 and advance to the National League Championship Series as they seek to become the first NL team to win three straight World Series.

NEW YORK (AP) — Anthony Volpe was denied a tying home run for the New York Yankees in Game 3 of their AL Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays when a replay review determined a fan interfered with his drive to deep left field. The Yankees wound up losing 4-3 by the very run that was taken off the board and had their season end in a three-game sweep. Players and managers on both sides mostly agreed the right decision was made. The play came nearly 30 years to the day after young Yankees fan Jeffrey Maier reached over the right-field wall at Yankee Stadium to turn Derek Jeter’s flyball into a home run during the 1996 American League Championship Series against Baltimore.   Jo Adell and José Ramírez powered Cleveland with a pair of two-out triples, and the Guardians avoided an AL Division Series sweep by cooling off the Chicago White Sox with a 9-3 victory in Game 3. Adell’s three-run triple gave Cleveland a 4-1 lead in the third inning. Ramírez’s three-bagger drove in Travis Bazzana and Patrick Bailey for a 7-3 advantage in the eighth. The Guardians hit two triples in a postseason game for the first time in franchise history. Game 4 is Thursday in Chicago, with the White Sox leading 2-1 in the best-of-five matchup. Once again, they’ll try to clinch a postseason series at home for the first time since the 1906 World Series.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers isn’t fazed by on-field frustrations caught on camera during a loss to the Cleveland Browns. Rodgers, defensive tackle Cam Heyward and edge rusher T.J. Watt were among the players who were demonstrably upset at times Thursday night. Rodgers, who had a testy exchange with coach Mike McCarthy, called the team’s emotion a sign of its passion for winning. McCarthy agreed but added his team could be more disciplined in controlling emotions in the future. The Steelers’ 2-2 start has been uneven, but McCarthy has emphasized growth and trust within the team.